Random Thoughts

Sorry this took so long Era and Eds!

For the instructions, add your name on the list and simply spell out your name using the given Japanese letter- translations below. Tag six of your friends and inform them of the tag. Have fun.

TRANSLATION:A - ka —– G - ji —– M - rin —– S - ari—– Y - fu —– B - tu —– H - ri —– N - to —— T - chi —–Z - zi —– C - mi —– I - ki —– O - mo —– U - do —– D - te —– J - zu —– P - no —— V - ru —– E - ku —–K - me —- Q - ke ——W - mei —– F - lu —– L - ta —— R - shi ——X - na

1. OSWALD - moarimeikatate (sounds like american and states har….har…har…)
2. JUNELLE - zudotokutataku (Thank God I’m a Filipino! sounds like sadako. nyay! hehehe)
3. JACQUELINE - zukamikedokutakitoku (Ayay!! Unsaman ni perti mang taasa..wa ko kasabot nyahahaha)
4. LIRA LUZ - takishika taduzi ( sounds like a title of an anime show) it’s cute!
5. Gracey - Katakamikuari (oh my, i’m glad i’m not japanese. Nothing sounds like it!
6. Vannie - Rukatotokiku (huh? ruka sounds cute!) hehehe
7. Farah - Lukashikari (hahaha! it’s cute!)
8. Patricia - Nokachishikimikika (ang haba naman! ) : )
9. Leah - Takukari (buti na lang maiksi lang name ko. hehe!)
10. Era - Kushika
11. Shiela - Aririkikutaka (kinabahan ako dun a akala ko aringkingking hehehe)
12. Eds -Kuteari ( OMG! ano ba naman tong name kong toh? Ang laswa! lol! )
13. Mich - Rinkimiri (Hmmm, sounds odd huh!?)

Thanks again ladies! Anyone wants to grab this!? :)

How time flies. Today is the last day of June. The last day of the first half of the year! It seems like June just passed by so quickly that we didn't notice that there are still more stuff that we need to purchase for the house such as modern furniture. You see, by next month it's our first year here in the house and we haven't completed everything yet! Hopefully by the end of the year, all the curtains will be installed as well as the other furniture.

Here's my roundup for this month:

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Sandra Brown's Lucky and Chase
- Working Mom Magazines

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
- Caregiver
- Lovers (Korean Telenovela)
- Transformers
- National Treasure 2

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- Reunion with YFC-DLSU friends
- Kimmy's 1st birthday

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- We gave Kimmy a Spiderman Bag

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- colds and headache

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- Meet up with YFC-DLSU friends
- Meet up with MM
- Movie Date with Farrah
- Overnight stay with family at The Penn
- Visiting Avalon Zoo Tiendesitas for Father's Day celebration

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Korean Restaurant in Shang
- Aling Tonya's in Palengke at Paluto in Ortigas
- Manila Penn's Buffet Breakfast
- Mom and Tina's Libis
- Burgoo

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- Shopping Spree in Duty Free

What were this month's disappointments?
- Nanay's passing away
- Our all-around help got sick

What were my accomplishments this month?
- Knowing that we will be having another baby girl in November!
- OGTT results are NORMAL (thank God)!
- Hepa Blood Tests are normal

Looking forward to July which I bet will be another busy month! :)

Since I got too busy after Friday especially over the weekend and also will be busy this coming weekend too, I won't be able to host a contest for this anymore. Sorry folks, maybe for my next baby!? (*grin*)

So, there, that was a hint! Yes, Baby #2's gender is... (drum roll, please) ... a GIRL!!!

I'm telling you, I asked the sonologist three times if she really was sure that it was a girl. And she answered, "Yes, I'm 100% sure that it's a girl!". I was hoping that when baby #2 is a boy, then we're done! But I guess God has other plans for us. :) I guess He wants us to have 3 kids and more probably!? Ayayay! We will see about that. :)

Jody, you were right. It really is a girl! LOL!

As Hubby said, what's important is that the baby is healthy. The sonologist said that the baby is doing well and that her spine is really well-formed. She looks really healthy and I'm really happy to hear that.

Another good thing here is that, I don't have to buy some clothes and stuff anymore since she will be using mostly Alex's stuff. You see, there are a lot of clothes that Alex was able to wear only once or twice. And the pink bike! Since the Lola gave Alex a pink bike, I'm glad that it will be handed down over to Baby #2.

As for the name of the baby, we haven't really decided yet. And anyway we still have a long way to go. 5 more months so we still have a lot of time to think about it. :)

...is fast approaching and we are all excited! She is Alex's cousin who will be turning one this July. It is going to be a huge party. Party details were already taken cared of although I haven't seen the invites yet. But I think her Mom (Hubby's sister) is prioritizing it right now since there are only a few more weeks to go. She opted to have it made and printed at the studio were they really make invitations. They also catered Halloween invitations, birthdays, wedding, baby showers and a whole lot more. Oh, I can't wait for the party, especially Alex who now enjoys parties so much!

I have read somewhere that it's good to invest in gold and any other precious metals. Since the rate of US Dollars have been going up and down, I guess this would be a perfect option. I haven't checked the price of gold yet but I know that you can purchase these precious metals through this company called Monex Deposit Company (MDC). For over 30 years, the Monex companies have been America’s gold, silver and precious metals investment leader. Of course since this entails a huge investment you would want to go for a stable company, just to make sure that you're investment is safe.

It happened so fast. Nanay was in and out of the hospital for two weeks and on these days, she really was in pain. A lot of decisions were made, painful decisions but everything just happened in God's time. She passed away peacefully at the hospital.

The wake started at Friday, June 20, 2008, at 4am. I saw a lot of cousins and relatives whom I haven't seen for years. Everyone was sad but at the same time at peace knowing that Nanay is already resting in heaven.

On Saturday we were at the wake during lunch until late afternoon. Alex was able to meet a lot of Lolas and Lolos. She was the only little girl there since I was the first to wed among my cousins. She had a great time and kept on saying "Superlola, sleep." You see, Superlola loooves Alex so much. She would always ask about "Baby Alex" and would always kiss her feet when she was still a baby.

Since Nanay's passing away was so sudden, we weren't able to cancel my sister's booking at The Manila Penn for Saturday and Sunday. So with that, we had to push through in staying there. Sayang naman if we wouldn't stay there. It turned out that it was a great idea, especially for my Mom who hasn't able to get some sleep for weeks already. And also going home to the place where Nanay stayed for months would be a bit depressing.

Anyway, we planned to go swimming at the Penn but as you all know, the weather was BAD. My Dad and brother who had a flight last Sunday from Mindanao were praying that the weather will turn out ok. Their original flight was canceled but good thing they were able to get seats from an earlier flight. They arrived at 2:30PM in Manila safely. And this time, the skies were all clear already.

After having breakfast at The Penn (which I can say was very sumptuous), Alex had a bubble bath with her Tita Trish for a few minutes then everybody prepared to go back to the wake. I stayed there until night time, while Hubby and Alex went home to take a nap.

The funeral was set last Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at 7AM. It was my Mom's idea to have it really early. It started with a mass and then at exactly 8:30AM we went straight to the cemetery. For some reason, it was very peaceful. I can say that it wasn't too emotional as I've imagined. I guess because everybody has accepted the fact that she is happy now and resting. All the close relatives were there and I can say that it was the most simple yet beautiful funeral I've ever attended.

Since almost all the cousins were there, we took the opportunity to have our picture taken.

Adrales Cousins


The girls...


The boys...

I'm sure Nanay is proud to see us nearly complete (since my brother and the other cousins are working in another country). We are slowly coping up with the loss and continues to pray that her soul will rest in peace.

Yes, my Mom's Nanay, our Nanay/Lola and Alex's SuperLola passed away last Friday. She went into a deep sleep at the hospital and finally no more pain, no more injections, no more struggles, no more antibiotics. She is now at peace with God and also with her husband, our Tatay in heaven. It is painful to see her go but as my Mom said, it is more painful to see her in pain for two long weeks, and even years since she had a stroke.

To our beloved Nanay, we know that wherever you are, you are now happy and you will always be in our hearts forever.

That's what my OB told me yesterday during my pre-natal checkup after work. I also had ultrasound and the sonologist said that the baby's healthy. The good news is that my blood sugar is NORMAL after taking the OGTT test. Wahooo! Now, I can eat a lot of sweets. But the thing is, I'm not even craving for it unlike my first pregnancy wherein I wasn't allowed to eat sweets but I was so, so craving for it. That's how life is really ironic. Anyway, we heard the baby's heartbeat too and it was fast. We were so glad to know that the baby is well.

So, another big news after yesterday is that...we already know the GENDER! Yes, in my 17 weeks (since our sonologist is really good) she, was able to detect the gender of the baby. What to guess!? :) Will get back to you on that. (*grin*)

For the meantime, hope everyone will have a great weekend! (*wink*)

Now I have a new template after 2 years! Yes, I've been using the same theme all over again for 2 long years now. And since I wanted to change it badly (just in time for my blog's 2nd anniversary in July), I found the perfect theme - Pixabella's Free HTML Templates. And since yesterday I had the luxury of time, I was able to tweak the HTML page a bit and here it is now, a new template and a very happy blogger! :)

As promised, here are the photos that we took during our trip to The Arc of Avilon Zoo in Tiendesitas. It was around 5pm when we got there so it was a bit dark inside so we couldn't find the perfect setting for the camera, thus a lot of the pictures were blurry. But anyway, the little girl (and us too) had a grand time there and considered it a nice experience!

This is one of the blurred photos that we took, sayang!




A wink for Dada! :)


Happy Dada's day!


Dada and Alex feeding the rabbits!

Happiness is...

1. Jumping little girl before going to sleep
2. Pink Bike from Lola
3. A few kicks from the baby
4. A sumptuous lunch with the whole family on Father's day
5. A trip to the Zoo
6. Good music
7. Shopping at Duty Free
8. McShaker Fries and Nuggets
9. Hubby's smile after a long day
10. Realizing that Life is Short and make the most out of it!

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here

Ever since I got pregnant I haven't drank coffee. But before that, Hubby and I would brew our own coffee at home every weekend and I would really look forward to it. You see relatives from abroad brought different kinds of coffee and everything tasted wonderful. Now that I'm pregnant, I'm really craving for caffeine. It is surprising because I'm not really a coffee drinker and I only drink coffee occasionally.

Now that I've read about kava, it makes me want to drink it now. It is an organic type of coffee or tea and they produced it from Kona Kava Farm located in Hawaii. I wonder if they have decaf which is (I think) safe for pregnant women!? :)

...was definitely a blast! It started Friday when we watched Kung Fu Panda with our CFC household. We watched it with their kids. We didn't bring Alex because we knew that she would get bored and with that, we would probably end up at Toys R Us or Timezone. LOL! Everyone loved the movie. It was so funny and relaxing. We didn't actually have plans of watching it but since they said that it was nice, we jumped at the opportunity. And we were so glad. :) We will probably buy a DVD once it's out so Alex can watch it at home too. After the movie, we had snacks at Burgoo.

The next day was another fun day for us! After my OGTT at the hospital which lasted for 4 long hours, we went straight to Aveneto for lunch. It was Hubby's treat for us for Father's Day. After lunch we went to Fun Ranch at Tiendesitas but since all of us were full, we were too sleepy (especially Alex) to play. So we decided to take a nap at my in-laws' place first and then went back to Avilon Zoo at around 5pm.

There were not much people checking out the zoo (photos to follow) so it's like we were all over the place. It was our first time there and was amazed that such place pala exists! LOL! Alex had fun looking at the monkeys, chickens, rabbits, birds, and fishes. They even fed the rabbits with carrots. I love the place. A bit smelly, but it was ok for the kids. I'm sure they won't notice the smell. The place can also be rented for parties. I just forgot to ask for their brochure.

The next day, we again had a busy day celebrating Father's day. This time, we had lunch with my in laws at Burgoo. I know we ate at Burgoo twice this week. It was sumptuous lunch and everybody ended up so full. We even had take out food since FIL ordered a lot for the group. It was a long lunch since the kids ate slowly but we had fun just taking our time. We were also able to buy (finally) some curtain rods for the two windows. I hope Hubby will set it up one of these days.

After lunch we went to Duty Free for shopping! We ended up shopping for the whole afternoon but good thing we were able to catch the 6PM mass.

I hope everyone had a nice Father's day! :) Be back with our photos from the Avilon Zoo. ;)

I was tagged by Jhona and Chat. Thanks ladies!

Q: NAME A FRIEND WHOSE NAME STARTS WITH 'S'
-
Q: 4TH PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALLS
- Mom
Q: WHAT DID THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECEIVED SAY?
- My friend Mage says that she will come over my place later.
Q: DO YOU CHEW ON YOUR STRAWS?
- Yes :)
Q: DO YOU HAVE CURLY HAIR?
- No
Q: WHAT IS THE NEXT CONCERT YOU'RE GOING TO?
- Nothing in particular. Haven't been to a concert for a long time!
Q: WHO'S THE COOLEST PERSON IN YOUR LIFE?
- Hubby
Q: WHAT WORDS DO YOU SAY A LOT?
- NO! - I usually say it for Alex to stop whatever she is doing. LOL!
Q: WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
- sugarfree chocolate and pretzel
Q: WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU SAID TO SOMEONE AND WHO WAS IT?
- Ingat! - To Hubby who just left for work
Q: DO YOU WATCH TV?
- not often
Q: HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE, DONNIE DARKO?
- Nope
Q: EVER BEEN HUNTING?
- yeah once in the province. I love to do things outdoors!
Q: IS MARRIAGE IN YOUR FUTURE?
- already married :)
Q: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID, ''I LOVE YOU'' AND MEANT IT?
- earlier
Q: WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING RIGHT NOW?
- sleeping! But Alex won't sleep yet so here I am waiting for her to get sleepy.
Q: DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME?
- yup
Q: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?
- Kinda
Q: WHO'S THE YOUNGEST ONE IN THE FAMILY?
- RikiDiki
Q: DO YOU CLEAN UP NICE?
- I hope so
Q: LAST TIME YOU USED A SKATEBOARD?
- I never used a skateboard
Q: WHERE WAS THE LAST PLACE YOU SLEPT BESIDES YOUR HOUSE?
- At the in-laws house last Saturday
Q: EVER RUN OUT OF GAS ON THE ROAD?
- Oh yeah!
Q: BEST MOVIE YOU'VE SEEN IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS?
- Kung Fu Panda (i loved it)
Q: WHO DO YOU TRUST THE MOST?
- Hubby of course
Q: DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WHO COME UP WITH BRAIN DEAD QUIZZES ARE CRYING FOR HELP IN SOME TWISTED WAY?
- hehe, I don't know
LAST
1) person you saw: Alex
2) talked to on the phone: Hubby
3) person you hugged: Alex
4) person you texted: Mage
TODAY
1) date: june 17
2) plans: sleep and watch after work
3) dislikes about tomorrow: nothing
CURRENTLY
1) missing someone: not really
2) mood: sleepy
TRUE OR FALSE
I am a morning person: false
I am a perfectionist: true
I am an only child: false
I am currently in my pajamas: false
I am online 24/7: false
I am very shy around the opposite gender: false
I can be paranoid: true
I currently regret something that I have done: false
I enjoy talking on the phone: true
I have a lot to learn: true
I have a secret: false

Now, I would like to know your answers too Jean, Juliana and Gracie!

There are so many things actually. She is Alex's pedia ever since she was born. She was recommended by a close friend. And we considered ourselves blessed for having her because she is always accessible. We can text her anytime we need her. And this would be during odd hours.

Since most physicians nowadays consider mobile CME. Since they already have all the gadgets like PDA and smarphone, anything is possible. One thing that also made it possible are the PDA medical software by companies, such as Epocrates, Inc. This is indeed a blessing for Moms like me who panics when my little girl suddenly feels sick.

"This announcement was paid for by Epocrates."

1 year and 2 months


1 year and 7 months


1 year and 10 months


1 year and 10 months


1 year and 10 months

Well, I can say that she got this trait from me! LOL! Goodluck to you, Dada! (*wink*)

I'm still feeling the same on my 17th week. Although sometimes I can feel the weight on my feet. I also noticed last night that my feet were swollen! What? I couldn't believe it either. I haven't been eating junk except for fries (HA!) lately so I guess it must be the fries. And I guess I need to drink more water! And as my Mom said last night, I need to do more exercises. Aargh.

I felt the baby moved again last night but it was so quick that I'm not sure if it is really the baby or it's just my stomach grumbling. I've been hungry all the time. Even in the middle of the night, but I've been watching my diet too because I have another blood sugar test on Saturday. This is the hardest part of being pregnant, being hungry all the time and at the same time need to watch out what I eat. I can say that all my life I've been a healthy eater (thanks to my Mom!) but there are days that you crave for some chips and soda right?

On caffeine, it's a good thing that I haven't been craving for coffee these past few weeks. I know it's bad for the baby and nobody knows the effect it entails. But just in case I would crave one of these days, I'm eying Figaro for a White Chocolate Mocha decaf and light. :)

On acnes, thank God they were gone. No need for best acne treatment as of now since my face is clear. I just don't know if these acnes are going to break my skin again. But I think as long as I eat right and drink lots of water, I'm on the right track.

Alex is getting the routine of kissing my tummy before going to sleep. It's a bit showing now so I think she is getting the point that there really is a baby in my tummy. I can't wait for her to see her baby brother/sister. Speaking of the gender, hopefully within this month, we will have another ultrasound that would see what gender it is. Oh, I can't wait for that!

But for the mean time, will have to prepare for my big test tomorrow (OGTT)! I just hope it turned out well. God will make a way.

Tagged by Joy and Kaje. Sorry ladies, it took me so long to look for photos and then had to scan it. But anyway, thanks again ladies for this very interesting tag! :)

{Begin Copy}
Aggie wants to see pictures of YOU through the years!!

The Rule:

Blogs who participated:
1. Aggie - Mommy Talks. Wife Stories. 2. Yen 3. Glo 4. Jacq 5. Buge 6. Joy 7. Thea 8. Diane 9. Kaje 10. Mich

{End Copy}

I was actually making an LO out of this tag but I had mental block that I didn't know what elements to put. Anyway, I ended up with this...






I'm so lucky that my Mom was able to preserve almost all my baby photos. I even had a hard time which one to post here! LOL!

First set of photos:
1. 1 month old (notice how dark I was when I was a baby? My Mom was shocked to see me when I was born. LOL!)
2. 3 months old
3. 1 year old
4. 2 years old

Second set of photos:
1. This photo was taken when I was 6 years old (I think).
2. I was 8 years old when I joined the choir (yes, I was active and I used to love to dance, sing, and everything when I was a kid! LOL!)
3. 10 years old taken at our basement (I miss our house in the province)
4. I love this photo, it was taken during my Lolo & Lola's Golden Anniversary, I was in grade 4 or 5 then.

Third set of photos:
1. Ewww, the days when I used to love blue and pink soda! I was in second year highschool
2. The days when I love to pretend that I was boyish. LOL! Taken when I was in third year highschool
3. Fast forward - taken when I was in second year college
4. During my second job (after college), I was sent to US to work for 7 mos, taken at Empire Estate Building

Fourth set of photos:
1. Taken at Hubby's house. This was the first time that I met his parents during their anniversary
2. Our wedding day!
3. When Alex turned one month old, we were in Tagaytay (notice my eyebags? My I remember our sleepless nights then!)
4. And this is my most recent photo. Pale and Pregnant in Tagaytay (not to mention huuuuge eyebags!). LOL!

I really had fun doing this tag, I hope you can do this as well, Jona, Kelly, and Arlene! As Joy said, take your time and have fun! :)

Happiness is...

1. A not-so hot weather
2. The little girl waking up late after a long night
3. A fast and fully setup computer
4. having a job and staying on the job for almost 2 years
5. blogging
6. watching good movies on a relaxing weekend
7. Ultimate Sandwich from KFC
8. meeting old friends from YFC DLSU
9. sugarfree chocolates
10. letting go

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

This is a very moving passage from Kelly. Thanks girl! :)

Prettiest Mom

Once you have been hit, you have to hit 5 pretty Moms.

If you get hit again, You will know you are Really pretty!

So hit 5 pretty moms on your friends list to let them know they are pretty!

________________________________________________________________

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Send this to someone who you think is a special Mom.

I just did!

I don't know why but I've been wanting (and willing) to cook nowadays. Mostly breakfast. I know my mornings are very busy, but I just love to eat rice so I had to cook on my own. I've been cooking a very simple recipe (which I can eat almost everyday), scrambled egg with tomato and basil. I just love this recipe not to mention it's very simple. I also tried tuna with tomato and basil last weekend and Hubby loved it. I used to cook tuna for pasta but this time we tried it with rice. And it was good. I was hoping to know more simple recipes so I can cook more. I've been trying to search over the internet but some recipes need more ingredients which I didn't like. Maybe I will check out the bookstore one of these days and check out some recipe books.

Any suggestions, Mommies!? :)

An interesting tag by Abie and Eds. Thank you ladies!

Did you miss the Yahoo Time Capsule?

Yahoo launched a Time Capsule Project last year where they invited people all over the world to submit to them photos, videos, writings, poems, blogs and other important memories that they want to treasure and share to the rest of the world. The Time Capsule project is now close and will re open on March 2, 2020 for Yahoo’s 25th Anniversary.

So while waiting for the time capsule project of Yahoo to re-open, let’s make our own time capsule.

Rules:

1. Answer the question below:

You can answer the question either by posting a picture, a video, writing a poem or whatever you think would best describe the memory that you want to share.


My best memories would be the following...


On the day I told Hubby my vows - to be with him for the rest of my life


The Day Alex was born. It was another happiest day of my life!


When I finished my thesis and finally finished my Master's Degree

2. Copy the entire list and add your name below the person who tagged you. Then tag at least 5 friends (But you can tag as many as you like) and visit their blog to let them know you tagged them.

Bloggers who shared their important memories

1.) Kaptyurd 2.) and so I am 3.) Princess Vien 4.) Princess Bela 5.) Our Journey to Life 6.) My Planet Purple 7.) Women Xplore 8.) Paul, Toni and Lance — Bridging the Distance 9.) My One Desire 10.) My Precious 11. Just Me.. Eds 12. Random Thoughts 13. It’s your turn!

Tagging, Dez, HappyMum, Yen, and Jesse! :)

The only thing that Hubby didn't consider buying is playstation 3. Yes I admit, I was tempted to buy WII after playing tennis and felt myself moving. But playstation 3 is just different. It's like when you buy one, you admit to yourself that you are a certified gamer, and I'm not. I'm even contented with playing on Hubby's phone with Solitaire and that's it. I would not make myself a gamer.

It is indeed a happy Monday today! I found out last Friday that we didn't have work too just in time for Hubby's holiday so I was so happy. If I have just known earlier I would have planned an out of town or probably a more interesting gimik for us, probably visit the zoo or something. But the thing is, we were too lazy and ended up eating and bingeing over the weekend. Aargh! Now I'm gaining too much weight that it seems like after giving birth, I would definitely need Orovo to lose weight. And I just realized that it helps you lose wrinkles and acnes too. How cool is that?

Last Saturday, we went to Gilmore to supposedly check out some desktop but we ended up buying one computer for the house. It turned out that Hubby was really planning on buying one. Ha! But I'm happy, the specs are wonderful and I can say - FAST! So I will be busy today installing some programs that I would need for work so I could start using the new desktop by tomorrow.

By Saturday night Hubby's friends came over and we got together after dinner. It was nice to see them again after several months.

On Sunday, our household was assigned to sponsor the 12NN mass at CTK so Hubby and I were assigned to do the offertory. I was happy that we were able to hear mass early that after taking a nap in the afternoon, Hubby and I were able to watch Transformers and then National Treasure (Book of Secrets) after dinner. It was a relaxing day indeed. We slept so late (Alex slept around 11:30PM) bad! But we had the luxury to wake up late too. Haaay, this is the life! :)

Hope everyone's having a happy Monday as well.

After staying at home on weekdays on my first trimester since I was too lazy to go out and even dress up, I realized that I needed to go out once again with my friends. And besides, Hubby and Alex need to bond more too. So I left both of them at home last night and went out with my friend to watch the movie "Caregiver".

We watched the 6:30PM show. We were a bit late (around 10mins) so we weren't able to watch the first few scenes of the movie. I loved the movie! I cried several times, it was a movie that you would learn something. The main reason why I wanted to watch it because I wanted to see London, but the movie was more to London. It was interesting and I'm glad that I made time to watch it. It was also about marriage and about being a Mom.

After the movie, we decided to have dinner at Chosun, a Korean Restaurant. We ordered so much food that we both ended up really, really full. We ordered for Beef Bulgogi, Chapchae (which I found it really delicious) and Shrimp fried rice. But both of us had fun eating and exchanging stories. It's been awhile since I went out with a friend and I'm really glad that I did. Of course I missed Hubby and Alex by the time we were done and I couldn't wait to go home to be with them again.

It was a wonderful time out for me and I'm looking forward to meeting more of my friends soon. :)

*Caregiver Photo from www.clickthecity.com

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
- Working Mom and Food Magazines

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
- GA Season 3
- Lobo (we are so loving the story these days...LOL!)

What special days did I celebrate and how?
- My in-laws 40th wedding anniversary

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
- We haven't given the in-laws gift for their anniversary yet. We might give them an overnight stay at some fancy hotel

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
- This month, first tri was over, no more vomiting and nausea but I had SEVERE headache
- Alex and Hubby were ok this month (thank God for that!)

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
- we just ate out most of the time this month since my appetite is back!

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
- Mongkok
- Second time in Sonya's garden for breakfast
- Second time in LZM

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
- I just bought a few cheap blouses from Surplus Shop

What were this month's disappointments?
- none

What were my accomplishments this month?
- surviving the 3 weeks without our cook/all-around help. The house didn't end up a disaster! LOL!

This is our second time in Tagaytay with our CFC friends (and kids). The last time we were there was 7 months ago, which was October last year (Check out my post here). We had several options for our summer outing but unfortunately we were too late that we weren't able to get good rooms in Clark and Bataan. So opted again to stay in Tagaytay. Anyway, our main purpose would be to bond and that the kids will have a grand time.

Just like last October, Hubby, Alex and I went there ahead of the group and left Manila on Friday to fix and clean the house. We got there around 9PM because we had to stop at KFC for dinner and mercury to buy some medicines. Traffic was not too bad. Although we were expecting it already that's why we were surprised to find how smooth our trip was.

Since the rest of the group were coming around lunch time, we decided to go to Sonya's Garden for breakfast. You see, ever since I've tasted their hot chocolate (a year ago), I've been wanting to try it again for months! And now we had the opportunity to go back again so I was so excited! The breakfast was delicious! They served Chicken and Pork Adobo, mushroom omelette, daing na bangus, their famous mango salsa, fried rice, and hot chocolate. I can say that I was in heaven (sorry, it's the pregnant woman talking here! LOL!). Hubby and I were so engrossed with the food that we forgot to take pictures. Realizing it, we at least took a photo of the dessert...

After a very heavy and sumptuous breakfast we just took photos of the place and then off we went to Bag of Beans to buy some bread.


I think I look pregnant now that I ate so much! LOL!




Hubby's turn...



After buying some raisin bread for my Mom and whole wheat bread for me (which I find so soft and yummy) at Bag of Beans, we went back to the house and fetch Alex. We met the rest of the group at LZM for lunch around 11:30AM. Again it was another sumptuous meal - Boneless Bangus and Bulalo. And we also ordered Chicharon and Lechon Kawali. Bad! But everyone was happy after the meal. The meal was also affordable considering that all of us ate and even had to bring home the rest of the food. After lunch we had coffee at Figaro then went back to the house for the kids to rest.

The kids were able to rest for an hour or so and then we went to the park for them to play. This time the weather was wonderful, not too cold and not too hot. The kids had a grand time! Time flew so fast when we were there. Next thing we knew we had to go back to the house to prepare for dinner.

It was a long night. After dinner we had another food trip with the girls and just talked until 12 midnight. And then the boys were left downstairs until 2AM. Everyone slept after that and I can say that everyone slept soundly.

The next day, after another heavy breakfast, we went to Paradizoo Theme Farm to check what's in store for us and the kids. It was a huge farm, there were animals but it was too hot to check out the entire area. Everyone felt so hot that I think didn't get to enjoy much. I wouldn't recommend this place if you are planning to go on a lunch time! Anyway, here are the photos...






The 5-Legged Bull









After some group picture taking, we then called it a day! I'm glad that we were able to push through with this summer outing in spite of the busy schedules. Because seeing all the kids play and having a great time, it's all worth the break. :)

Alex has a lot of toys already but one thing that I think she would love are inflatable boats. I know the summer is over now, but the weather is getting hotter everyday! So it would be a good idea to setup that inflatable pool again and it would really be nice to have inflatable toys like boat, fish, etc on it. Alex doesn't like the feel of the beach because of the sand but she sure loves the feel of the water.

Aside from work, I was busy "cleaning up" my computer. You see, it's been sooo slow for weeks already that I had to delete some files and un-install some programs which I haven't been using for a year. So that's why I wasn't even able to check my mail nor blog. I was supposed to blog about Alli yesterday, a diet pill in the market, but I just didn't have time. Next thing I knew, Hubby was home from work.

Another thing that I wanted to blog too was our Tagaytay trip with our friends from CFC. It was a fun trip that I really want to share the photos and stories here. I'm looking at probably tomorrow since I've already uploaded the photos. And yes, tags, I still got a lot to answer so hopefully will be able to do it this week or next.

Oh my, Father's day is coming but I don't have a gift for Hubby yet. I was thinking of buying one gift for Father's day and his birthday next month to make it more special. I asked him what he wanted but as usual he would just say, it's all up to me. Hopefully I would be able to come up with something soon.

Gotta go back to work now and promise to post the stories and photos of our Tagaytay trip tomorrow. For the mean time, here's one photo of the whole gang at Paradizoo taken last Sunday.

Happiness is...

1. Having a tiring but happy weekend with family and good friends!
2. Breakfast at Sonya's Garden, Tagaytay
3. Hearing Alex say, "I miss you Dada" - taught by yaya.
4. Having lunch with good old friends before leaving for London (have a safe trip Ercs! We will miss you!)
5. Feeling the baby move even for just a few seconds
6. Shopping!
7. Sleeping after a tiring weekend
8. Having our cook/all-around help back from vacation
9. Having plants down the hallway which makes me feel refreshed all the time
10. Planning for the next weekend

To know how this started and credits of the header, click here.

Thanks for this Jhona! ;)

1. Would you forgive your best friend for sleeping with your husband/wife?
---no way!
2. Where were you last week?
---at home
3. Have you ever seen a live bat?
---yup
4. Do you like Big Macs?
---yes, recently I have developed a love for BURGERS!
5. Are you single?
---nope
6. Do you like the color orange?
---sometimes
7. Do you find it in your heart to forgive?
---it depends also :)
8. Would you rather not eat or not sleep?
---i would rather not eat than not sleep. I love sleeping!
9. Have you ever seen a real redneck?
---nope
10. Do you like tattoos and piercings?
---before i wanted a tattoo just for the sake of having it, but I didn't get it because my parents won't allow it
11. Where was the last place you got your hair cut?
---Vito Cruz
13. Do you care if people talk smack about you?
---yes I do
14. How long do you use the phone daily?
---I used the phone a lot, it's part of my job :)
15. Do you like snakes?
---it's ok, I don't like it, I don't hate it. :)

Snag this if you want! ;)

We had a fun and eventful weekend! We spent our weekend with our CFC household in Tagaytay again with the kids. The last time we were there was October and I can't believe that it was 7 months ago. It felt like it was only last month.

Friday after work we went straight to the house in Tagaytay and tried to prepare the house for the rest of the gang. They then followed Saturday lunch. We brought a lot of stuff since everyone had food assignments. We just brought some snacks, kitchen utensils, and more. I can say that I have a poor memory now since I left a lot of things in the house. :( It is probably because I'm pregnant or it is probably because of epidural that I had when I first gave birth. Hmmmm, I really don't know.

Anyway, I haven't uploaded the photos yet (which isn't that much) so will post it sometime this week. I have a lot of stories to tell. Alex had a lot of fun playing even if almost all the kids were boys. She now knows how to play a toy car!

We are still tired from the trip and we need to rest and sleep more. So will get back to you on that and will visit your blogs soon too! :)

Have a great week everyone!